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The Uros floating islands
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Already in the 1940s the Nation Geographic magazine amazed the world with pictures of the floating Islands of the Uros. These people lived in Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, and as if that wasn´t enough already to make them famous, they lived on floating islands made of reeds. They were very poor, and looked the part, isolated and abandoned by everybody, of dark skin and sunburned by the scathing sun at these altitudes. The myth was born...
Today a lot has changed: environmental circumstances have obliged the Uros people to move closer to the city of Puno and tourism has saved and changed their way of life. They are no longer isolated as they were, but still very proud and independent. They were on the brink of disappearance, and found in tourism their salvation and a motivation to return to their ancestral grounds in Lake Titicaca.
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History of the Uros people
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The Uros people is one of the oldest tribes of South America, if not the oldest, as genetic investigations suggest, and their roots by far surpass the famous Incas that claim to have been born from the same lake that is their home. It is thought that their origins lie directly in Polinesia, contrary to the majority of the indigenous people that have populated the continent, coming from the north.
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The Uros call themselves "kot-suña", the people of the water , and the name Uros supposedly comes from their first habitat around Lake Uro-Uro, now in Bolivia. It is assumed they abandoned the area to come to Lake Titicaca, where the abundant Totora reeds provided them the material for their floating islands, as they sought to escape from domination by the conquering civilizations that had set their eyes on the fertile altiplano around the lake, in what is now called the Puno region. In time, they mixed with the indigenous Aymara population and adopted their language and many of their traditions.
Originally the Uros floating islands were not so close to the city shores as they are today. They were spread into several communities deep in the large area of reed fields, in the Puno bay. But draughts in the 60s layed waste to their vital source of living: the totora reeds. The water level of Lake Titicaca in the Puno bay was so low, that many were obliged to come to shore (in what is now called Uros-Chulluni, close to the Estevez Island). Others moved to the Huili River that floats through that part of the lake and was the only area where they were sure to have about 15m (50 ft) of water below their floating islands.
In 1970, the last speaker of the original Uros language died and it seemed a token that the history of the Uros had come to an end, as the inhabitants of the floating islands were getting old and their way of life seemed to be in a dead end. One of the oldest cultures of South America was in danger of extinction...
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Tourism on the Uros Islands
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But near the end of the 20th century tourism from Cusco started filtering through to the Uros Islands and provided relief for a people in desperate need. They very quickly understood that their floating islands were a major tourist attraction and families that were living on land rekindled their habits and ancestral knowledge, so travelers could see how they had been living for many generations.
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Like a desert tree that finally receives water and springs into life, what started with a few floating islands witnessed an unprecedented growth and led to what are now more than 50 floating islands, each one populated with 3 to 5 Uros families. In the beginning they often continued to live on the shores and combined a city life with living on the water, but each year more families returned to live permanently in what they consider their ancestral territory, Lake Titicaca. Today the Uros Floating Islands have a school, church and medical attention that can be compared to small villages in Peru. But success comes with a price: the historically anarchic Uros people had to begin to set their rules on how they were organizing their new primary source of income, namely tourism.
Today, tourism to the Uros floating Islands is a well-oiled machine. Usually combined with a one-day visit to the island of Taquile, or a two-day excursion to the islands of Amantani and Taquile, they have become the most visited destination on Lake Titicaca. They are a close-knit group of islands, built from reed, that are floating in the Huili River, only 12 minutes by boat from the port of Puno. You are dropped of on 1 or 2 islands, where guides explain how the floating islands are built and maintained. Contrary to the traditional image of people of the altiplano, the inhabitants of the Uros Islands are quite openhearted, even talkative; an obvious result of the place tourism has taken in their lives.
The ancestral grounds of the Uros are the totora reeds that occupy a large area of the Puno Bay. Due to its ecological value, it is part of the Titicaca Natural Reserve, which obliges an uneasy and sometimes tense co-existence between conservational authorities and a people that went to hide in Lake Titicaca so nobody could rule them. But it also provides a spectacular background to an ancient culture. Lake Titicaca has over a hundred endemic species, mainly birds, but also fish like the Ispi or Mauri, and is the home of the emblematic Titicaca flightless greeb (Rollandia Microptera) or “zambullidor del Lago”. The area is bathed in mysteries, as it was once dry, part of the land, and apparantly host to an ancient culture of which very little is known. The waters harbour artificial structures and graveyards of which the Uros only whisper with respect.
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How to visit the Uros Floating Islands.
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The Uros Islands are only 12 minutes by boat from the port of Puno. You can buy a ticket at the port, or contract a travel agency in Puno. It only takes a few hours and tours usually leave in the morning and in the afternoon. Many people opt to combine the visit to the Uros floating Islands with a visit to the Island of Taquile (one day) or a two-day trip with an overnight stay with a local family on the island of Amantaní and a visit to Taquile.
Usually one of two islands are visited, so you can experience what is is to walk on island made of reed. Some of the islands are decorated with reed sculptures to distinguish them more easily and some have a small tower from which you can take pictures.
Now, a few islands offer lodging on one of the floating islands. Contrary to what it may sound, they are quite comfortable and well-organized. You are also taken with small boat into the reeds so you can experience firsthand what it is to live on and from Lake Titicaca.
The sun at these altitudes is always scathing, but be especially careful when on the Lake, due to the reflection on the water. Every year careless tourists end up at the hospital with second degree burns from the sun, so be lavish with your sunscreen and wear a hat. At night temperature drop significantly, below freezing point from June to August, so be prepared.
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How do the Uros Islands float ?
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Legend says the Islands of the Uros float by blessing of the water gods, and that would be true if it were these gods that gave the reeds so many properties. For the Uros not only use the reeds to build their islands, but also as food, or for herb teas. Once dried, the reeds are flexible and hards to break.
What makes the Uros islands float are the blocks of roots at the bottom of the reeds, which start decomposing and as such produce gases that give the islands floating capacity. The Uros tie or “knit” the roots together until they form an artificial island. Then they add layer after layer of dry reeds (or totora as they call it) on top of the blocks until its about two meters (7 ft) high. Every two or three months they add a new layer of totora on the island to avoid the disintegration of their homes.
The islands float and would drift if they weren´t anchored to the bottom of the lake. As each island consists of block and belongs to several families, family disputes are often resolved by taking out a special saw, cutting the island in two parts and moving one part of the island far enough to avoid confrontations. Having mobile housing has its advantages...
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Discovering Oceania
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The craftsmanship of the Uros when it came to building their islands and their boats did not go unnoticed to the Inca Emperor Tupac Yupanqui, one of the greatest Inca emperors.
The Uros helped to build the ships for the expeditions of the Inca, and several Uros traveled with the emperor on these ships. Tupac Yupanqui went as far as the Eastern Islands, where unmistakable Inca ruins can be found. This explains the origin of many legends of the Uros people about great voyages on the sea, and could rightfully uphold the claim that they also were the co-discoverers of Oceania.
Much later the Uros assisted Thor Heyerdahl with the construction of the famous Kontiki boat that proved that it was technically possible for the South-American civilizations to cross over to Polynesia, even though genetic research suggests that the migratory movement was the other way around.
Both are great examples of how one of the oldest cultures in South-America has made its contribution by sharing its hard-learned lessons with the rest of the world. Who knows what more the Uros will have in store for us?
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Hotel Qalasaya
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Region: PUNO
Detalle: Edificio de 11 pisos con servicio de ascensor...
Fecha: 15/05/2011
Categoria
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Precio desde:
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US $72.60
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